University Communications

Film Premiere: VT Energy Independence

UVM students and faculty have contributed to a new film on Vermont's future use of energy.

Last year, the Vermont House of Representatives designated March 21 as Vermont Energy Independence Day. To celebrate the day this year, a team of filmmakers, including several UVM faculty members, will premiere what may be Vermont’s first crowd-sourced film.

The screening of “Vermont Energy Independence Day,” a forty-five-minute film, is scheduled for 4 p.m., Thursday, March 21, in Room 11 of the State House in Montpelier. It is free and open to the public.

Last spring, hundreds of Vermonters, including many UVM students, submitted short films about projects and ideas they had for improving Vermont’s sustainable energy future — these ranged from growing biofuels on Vermont farms to bike commuting in Burlington.

The video clips — some professionally made, some on cell phones — were gathered through a YouTube channel set up by Bright Blue EcoMedia, a non-profit company that includes Jon Erickson, interim dean of UVM’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, and Amy Seidl, a professor in UVM’s Environmental Program.

Cobbling together pieces of the shared video with narrative and music, the filmmakers present many Vermont people including teachers, students, and engineers, as well as political leaders and advocates including U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Vermont Representative Sarah Edwards, and 350.org founder Bill McKibben.

To view a trailer of the film and for more general information on the project, visit www.march21st.org.